Time: 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Location: Georgia Forestry Commission Headquarters, 5645 Riggins Mill Road, Dry Branch (Macon) 31020
Speakers: Dudley Hartel, USDA Forest Service; Gary White and Daniel Westcot, Georgia Forestry Commission
This program will cover:
1) The Value of Working Forests: the definition and benefits, including the cost of environmental services studies, the value to communities and the value of privately managed lands to the public.
2) An Introduction to Green Infrastructure: the basics of green infrastructure development with an example from Gainesville, Georgia. This section will focus on “retrofitting” green infrastructure into urban areas and the role of private lands and property.
3) Tools for Green Infrastructure Planning: a look at canopy studies, i-Tree Eco use, and other sources of data.
4) Green Infrastructure along Coastal Georgia: the coastal redesign project on green infrastructure planning.
Registration: $30 members, $40 non-members. CEUs: 3.25 ISA Arborist; 3 SAF Forester. Certificates of Attendance for all. Lunch is included in registration fee.
This unique conference is for college and university physical plant managers, landscape directors, staff, and administrators who know the 
value of maintaining healthy trees on their campuses. Learn more about tree inventory assessments, maintenance, trees and security, and the Tree Campus USA Program. Special guest speaker: Dan Lambe, The National Arbor Day Foundation. This conference is presented by the Georgia Urban Forest Council and sponsored by Arborguard Tree Specialists; Bartlett Tree Experts; Bold Spring Nursery; The Davey Tree Expert Company; Hughes, Good, O’Leary & Ryan Landscape Architects; jB+a, inc.; Moon’s Tree Farm, and Macon State College. (Sponsorship/exhibitor opportunities still available – call 800-994-4832.)
Date: September 28, 2010
Time: 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Location: Macon State College, 100 College Station Drive, Macon, GA 31206
Registration Fee: $50 per person. Lunch included.
4 ISA Arborist CEUs; 4 Continuing Forestry Education Credits, category 1; 1 Continuing Forestry Education Credit, category 2.
For a schedule of sessions, driving directions, and to register, click on the button below.
The Georgia Urban Forest Council proudly announces the 2010 Georgia Urban Forestry Awards program. Annually, as part of its mission to sustain Georgia’s green legacy by helping communities grow healthy trees, GUFC enthusiastically rewards individuals, organizations, businesses, municipalities, and counties for outstanding work in protecting and enhancing our community forests. Outstanding work, whether public or private, is eligible for nomination. Individuals, non-profit organizations, businesses, municipalities and counties, schools, civic groups, and others are welcomed and encouraged to make nominations in more than one category. A nominee does not have to be a member of the Georgia Urban Forest Council. Award recipients of this year’s Georgia Urban Forestry Awards will be recognized at GUFC’s 2010 Annual Conference Awards Luncheon on November 18, 2010 at the Classic Center in Athens, Georgia. To download an awards application, click here. Deadline is September 15.
In this issue: Tree Preservation at the Atlanta Botanical Garden, new Sustainable Community Forestry Program Coordinator for the Georgia Forestry Commission, AmericanGrove.org, President’s Letter, and more. 
Click here to download the Summer issue or click on the image at right.
E-mail my TreeTalks! Would you like to receive the GUFC newsletter? Just click on the “E-mail my Tree Talks” link and send us an e-mail. Simply put “E-mail my Tree Talks” in the subject line.
Municipalities have many demands on them: transportation, safety, education, development and much more. Urban foresters and arborists understand the importance of urban foresty in terms of benefits and safety; the goal is for municipal budgets to reflect this importance. Urban forestry often must compete for municipal dollars. To compete effectively requires constant education and communication with municipal hierarchy and elected officials. Georgia Urban Forest Council strives to deliver the tools to accomplish this through our educational programs, resources, and community outreach.
The west coast is spectacular, even the trees reach heights of over 350 feet. However, the breadth of tree diversity does not compare to the Southeast. Consider trees you can select just for the understory in this region: Sassafras, Silverbell, Dogwood, Sourwood, Yellow Wood, Paw Paw… the list goes on. At some point even overstory trees like white oak and yellow popular are understory trees. Next time you are in the forest in Georgia, enjoy its breadth and diversity!
This quercas alba (white oak, click on for larger view) has been pruned over the years by the utility company. It does not appear to have one dominant leader, and the homeowner is wondering if the many crowded branches growing vertically are weak attachments. The homeowner also wonders if by thinning the crown in particular, the verticle branches growing upward, would reduce wind drag and make the tree less likely to fail. What do you think?
Have you been to Thompson Mill Forest Arboretum near the town of Braselton, just off I-85? This 330 acre site contains 214 marked trees that are native to Georgia and many interesting non-native species. There is also a Native Tree Collection Trail with a well written and informative brochure that can be downloaded. For more info go to http://warnell.forestry.uga.edu/warnell/tmf/.
Observing street tree installation can often be like the old saying, “watching sausage being made.” Many times, arborists have to tolerate trees being planted in what is often referred to as tree crypts, where little consideration is given to the soil, space for roots, and tree selection. Expense and lack of communication are often sited as the main reasons for the neglect. Lack of communication is exacerbated by separate departments or contractors overseeing the planning, engineering, and installation. Have you used a successful strategy to have street trees installed properly? Please share it.
Arborists are often asked to assess tree hazards on a property and are taught to look at tree health, target, and size. Jesse Milton, in his casual research, reports that in 38% of trees that he has observed to fail, the defect was either not visible or there was no defect. It is no wonder that arborists often recommend to take down healthy-appearing trees near commercial and residential structures. The decision is particularly tough when the tree is a specimen hardwood that is healthy. To complicate matters is the bigger issue of probability; typically, it is more likely for a person to get in a car accident than for the tree to fail. Arborists are left with measuring the risks and rewards of leaving a tree. Due to liability issues, these trees are typically removed. Is this the right course of action or are there alternatives?
